Adjustable manhole cover support

ABSTRACT

An adjustable manhole cover support including a peripheral frame adapted for placement in the opening of a manhole housing, and a peripheral manhole adjusting ring disposed on the frame. The ring has a peripheral inner seat for receiving the manhole cover. Adjustment means is provided between the frame and the ring to adjust the height therebetween and thus adjust the height of the manhole cover as may be needed when the roadway is resurfaced. The adjusting means may be set screws, stepped inserts or spacers contained in a U-bracket.

United States Patent [1 1 Bowman Nov. 20, 1973 [22] Filed:

[54] ADJUSTABLE MANHOLE COVER SUPPORT [75] Inventor: Harold M. Bowman,Bay Village,

Ohio

[73] Assignee: National Utility Products Company Mar. 12, 1971 21 Appl.No.2 123,650

[52] US. Cl. 404/26 [51] Int. Cl E02d 29/14 [58] Field of Search 94/34,35

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,930,295 3/1960 Hale 94/343,611,889 10/1971 Levinson..

3,218,943 1 1/1965 Bowman 2,254,668 9/ 1941 Tomek.....

4 54 A'Ell Wiesmann 94/34 X Mason 94/34 X Primary ExaminerNile C. Byers,Jr. AttorneyBaldwin, Egan, Walling & Fetzer 5 7 ABSTRACT 9 Claims, 12Drawing Figures PAIENTEnnuvzo 191s 3773.428

SHEET 10? 6 HAROLD M. BOWMAN PAIENTED nuv 20 I973 SHEET 4 BF 6 a: G 1 3.32 a 58 WI 'f"h a 5 64 42' I I l 40 4 6o 5 60 w 5 =f 38 g 1 um 3 I I I)I I l 64 AK 64 so i%f, 54 5/56 FIG? INVENTOR.

BHAROLD M. BOWMAN PAIENTEDHUVZO I973 3,773,428

SHEET 5 OF 6 FIG.IO

BXI -iAROLD M. BOWMAN 6244M,

ATTORNEYS PMENTEU REV 20 I973 SHEET SUF 6 I w 4/ 58 ii [I f 72 g 54 I fI" 26 24 I FIGII INVENTOR.

HAROLD M. BOWMAN BY ATTORNEYS ADJUSTABLE MANHOLE COVER SUPPORT Thisinvention relates to manhole cover supports and more particularly to anadjustable support for varying the height of the cover.

In the repair and resurfacing of streets and highways, it is frequentlyfound that the repaired or resurfaced roadway is substantially higherthan the original roadway with the result that the upper edges ofnumerous manhole housings are disposed substantially below the new roadsurface. The upper end portions of the housings carry annular, inwardlyprojecting flanges just below the upper edges thereof for supportingmanhole covers and such covers are disposed below the resurfacedroadway,- thereby creating hazardous driving conditions unless somemeans is provided for raising the levels of the covers.

An object of the invention is to provide a vertically adjustable manholecover support whereby a manhole cover can be raised to the level of anewly resurfaced road.

Another object is to provide a manhole cover support of the above typehaving means for mounting it on a conventional manhole housing.

A further object of the invention is to provide a manhole cover supportof the above type that is simple in construction, inexpensive tomanufacture, and highly effective in operation.

According to one modification of the invention, it is an object toprovide a sectional manhole cover support for original installationwhich circumferentially engages a modified manhole housing in suchmanner as to be subsequently vertically adjustable when the street orhighway is resurfaced.

Briefly, the foregoing objects are accomplished by the provision of amanhole cover support for vertically adjusting the level of anassociated manhole cover in the opening of a manhole housing including amanhole frame adapted to be fixed in the opening, and a unitaryperipheral manhole adjusting ring disposed on the frame and having aperipheral seat formed in its interior peripheral surface for receivingthe manhole cover.

- Adjustment means are disposed between the frame and the ring forvertically adjusting the height of the ring with respect to the frame.The ring may be formed of peripheral segments connected together. Anadjustable locking bracket detachably connects the frame and ring.

In one form of the invention the adjustment means is a plurality of setscrews threadedly disposed in the bottom surface of the ring, suchscrews being vertically adjustable to selectively adjust the distancebetween the frame and ring and thus selectively adjust the height of themanhole cover with respect to the frame.

In another form of the invention the adjustment means includes a U"bracket and at least one spacer disposed within and at the bottom of thebracket, such bracket being detachably positioned on the ring be tweenthe frame and the ring to selectively adjust the vertical distancetherebetween and thus adjust the height of the manhole cover withrespect to the frame.

In a further modification, the ring contains a plurality of steppednotches formed in the lower edge of the ring, and the adjustment meansincludes a plurality of stepped inserts formed for selective insertionrespectively in the notches for adjusting the vertical distance betweenthe frame and the ring to thus selectively adjust the height of themanhole cover with respect to the frame.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an adjustable manhole cover supportconstructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view taken along the line 22 of FIG. 1, with theframe and portions of the manhole cover and the roadway surface beingadded;

FIG. 3 illustrates a modification of the support shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view taken along the line 44 of FIG. 3, with theframe and portions of the manhole cover and the roadway surface beingadded;

FIG. 5 illustrates a further modification of the support shown in FIG.1;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view taken along the line 6-6 of FIG. 5, with theframe and portions of the manhole cover and the roadway surface beingadded;

FIG. 7 illustrates a further modification of the support shown in FIG.1;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged view taken along the line 8-8 of FIG. 7, with theframe and portions of the manhole cover and the roadway surface beingadded;

FIG. 9 illustrates a further modification of the support shown in FIG.1;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged view taken along the line l0l0 of FIG. 9, withthe frame and portions of the manhole cover and the roadway surfacebeing added;

FIG. 11 illustrates a further modification of the support shown in FIG.1; and

FIG. 12 is an enlarged view taken along the line 12--l2 of FIG. 11, withthe frame and portions of the manhole cover and the roadway surfacebeing added.

In the drawings, like numbers refer to like parts.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a manhole cover supportincluding a manhole frame 20 and a unitary peripheral manhole adjustingring 22 disposed on the frame and having a peripheral seat 24 formed inits interior peripheral surface for receiving a manhole cover 26thereon. Suitable adjustment means" are provided between the frame 20and the ring 22 for vertically adjusting the height of the ring withrespect to the frame, such adjusting means, in this instance, being aplurality of set screws 28.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are similar to the structures in FIGS. 1 and 2,respectively, except that the ring is formed of a plurality ofperipheral segments 32, 34, 36 and 38 joined by suitable attaching meanssuch as the bolts 40, 42, 44, 46 to form a unitary ring.

Accordingly, FIGS. 1-4 show the adjusting means in the form of the setscrews 28 which vary or adjust the vertical distance between the frameand ring and thus vary the height of the manhole cover with respect tothe frame and with respect to the roadway surface 50.

An adjustable locking bracket 54 with its attaching screws 56 and 58 isprovided t secure the frame 20 to the ring.

In FIGS. 1, 5 and 9 the ring 22 is a one-piece ring. In FIGS. 3, 7 and11 the ring is segmented.

In FIGS. 5 and 6 the adjustment means includes a U" bracket 60 slidablydisposed in a slot 62 in the ring 22 and one or more spacers 64 disposedwithin and at the bottom of the bracket 60. The bracket 60 is detachablypositioned on the ring 22 between the frame 20 and the ring 22 toselectively adjust the vertical distance therebetween and thus adjustthe height of the manhole cover 26 with respect to the frame and withrespect to the roadway surface 50.

Such aforedescribed U bracket adjusting means construction is also shownapplied to the segmented ring structure of FIGS. 7 and 8.

In FIGS. 9 and 10 the ring 22 contains a plurality of stepped notches 70formed in the lower edge of the ring 22, and the adjustment meansincludes a plurality of stepped inserts 72 formed for selectiveinsertion respectively in the notches 70 for adjusting the verticaldistance between the frame and the ring and thus selectively adjust theheight of the manhole cover with respect to the frame and with respectto the roadway surface 50.

In FIGS. 1 1 and 12, the aforedescribed stepped insert adjusting meansconstruction is shown applied to the segmented ring structure.

Thus there is provided a manhole height adjusting means of simple,economical construction that may be very easily operated by the man inthe field.

The terms and expressions which have been employed are used as terms ofdescription, and not of limitation, and there is no intention, in theuse of such terms and expressions, of excluding any equivalents of thefeatures shown and described or portions thereof, but it is recognizedthat various modifications are possible within the scope of theinvention claimed.

In the set screw adjusting means structure shown in FIGS. 1-4, manytypes of set screw locking means may be used to releasably retain theset screws in final adjuste d position. For example, a synthetic organicplastic covering 29 may be placed on the set screws to partiallyinterfere with the threading of such screws and thus retain them inlocked position. Lock washers may also be used.

What is claimed is:

l. A manhole cover support for vertically adjusting the level of anassociated manhole cover in the opening of a manhole housing comprising,a manhole frame adapted to be fixed in the opening, a unitary peripheraladjustable ring disposed on the frame and having a peripheral seatformed in its interior peripheral surface for receiving the manholecover, said ring being formed of peripheral segments, and means forconnecting such segments together to form the unitary ring, saidadjustment means being disposed in the bottom surface of the ring, saidring supporting said cover, and adjustment means disposed at leastpartially within the external surface of the ring and offset inwardlywithin the radial boundaries of the ring for vertically adjusting theheight of the ring with respect to the frame.

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein an adjustable locking bracketdetachably connects the frame and ring together.

3. The structure of claim 1 wherein said adjustment means is a pluralityof set screws threadedly disposed in the bottom surface of the ring,said screws being vertically adjustable to selectively adjust thedistance between the frame and ring and thus selectively adjust theheight of the manhole cover with respect to the frame.

4. The structure of claim 3 wherein the set screws have releasablelocking means for retaining the screws in final adjusted position.

and thus adjust the height of the manhole cover with respect to theframe.

7. A manhole cover support for vertically adjusting the level of anassociated manhole cover in the opening of a manhole housing comprising,a manhole frame adapted to be fixed in the opening, a unitary peripheralmanhole adjusting ring disposed on the frame and having a peripheralseat formed in its interior peripheral surface for receiving the manholecover, and adjustment means disposed between the frame and the ring forvertically adjusting the height of the ring with respect to the frame,said ring containing a plurality of stepped notches formed in the loweredge of the ring, and said adjustment means including a plurality ofstepped inserts formed for selective insertion respectively in saidnotches for adjusting the vertical distance between the frame and thering and thus selectively adjust the height of the manhole cover withrespect to the frame.

8. A manhole cover support for vertically adjusting the level of anassociated manhole cover in the opening of a manhole housing comprising,a manhole frame adapted to be fixed in the opening, a unitary peripheralmanhole adjusting ring disposed on the frame and having a peripheralseat formed in its interior peripheral surface for receiving the manholecover, and adjustment means disposed between the frame and the ring forvertically adjusting the height of the ring with respect to the frame,said ring being formed of peripheral segments, means for connecting suchsegments together to form the unitary ring, said ring containing aplurality of stepped notches formed in the lower edge of the ring, andsaid adjustment means including a plurality of stepped inserts formedfor selective insertion respectively in said notches for adjusting thevertical distance between the frame and the ring and thus selectivelyadjust the height of the manhole cover with respect to the frame.

9. A manhole cover support for vertically adjusting the level of anassociated manhole cover in the opening of a manhole housing comprising,a manhole frame adapted to be fixed in the opening, a unitary peripheraladjustable ring disposed on the frame and having a peripheral seatformed in its interior peripheral surface for receiving the manholecover, said ring supporting said cover, and adjustment means disposed atleast partially within the external surface of the ring and offsetinwardly within the radial boundaries of the ring for verticallyadjusting the height of the ring with respect to the frame, saidadjustment means comprising a U bracket and at least one spacer disposedwithin and at the bottom of the bracket, said bracket being detachablypositioned on the ring between the frame and the ring to selectivelyadjust the vertical distance therebetween and thus adjust the height ofthe manhole cover with respect to the frame.

1. A manhole cover support for vertically adjusting the level of anassociated manhole cover in the opening of a manhole housing comprising,a manhole frame adapted to be fixed in the opening, a unitary peripheraladjustable ring disposed on the frame and having a peripheral seatformed in its interior peripheral surface for receiving the manholecover, said ring being formed of peripheral segments, and means forconnecting such segments together to form the unitary ring, saidadjustment means being disposed in the bottom surface of the ring, saidring supporting said cover, and adjustment means disposed at leastpartially within the external surface of the ring and offset inwardlywithin the radial boundaries of the ring for vertically adjusting theheight of the ring with respect to the frame.
 2. The structure of claim1 wherein an adjustable locking bracket detachably connects the frameand ring together.
 3. The structure of claim 1 wherein said adjustmentmeans is a plurality of set screws threadedly disposed in the bottomsurface of the ring, said screws being vertically adjustable toselectively adjust the distance between the frame and ring and thusselectively adjust the height of the manhole cover with respect to theframe.
 4. The structure of claim 3 wherein the set screws havereleasable locking means for retaining the screws in final adjustedposition.
 5. The structure of claim 4 wherein said locking means is acovering of synthetic organic plastic.
 6. The structure of claim 1wherein said adjustment means comprises a ''''U'''' bracket and at leastone spacer disposed within and at the bottom of the bracket, saidbracket in coaction with the spacer being detachably positioned on thering between the frame and the ring to selectively adjust the verticaldistance therebetween and thus adjust the height of the manhole coverwith respect to the frame.
 7. A manhole cover support for verticallyadjusting the level of an associated manhole cover in the opening of amanhole housing comprising, a manhole frame adapted to be fixed in theopening, a unitary peripheral manhole adjusting ring disposed on theframe and having a peripheral seat formed in its interior peripheralsurface for receiving the manhole cover, and adjustment means disposedbetween the frame and the ring for vertically adjusting the height ofthe ring with respect to the frame, said ring containing a plurality ofstEpped notches formed in the lower edge of the ring, and saidadjustment means including a plurality of stepped inserts formed forselective insertion respectively in said notches for adjusting thevertical distance between the frame and the ring and thus selectivelyadjust the height of the manhole cover with respect to the frame.
 8. Amanhole cover support for vertically adjusting the level of anassociated manhole cover in the opening of a manhole housing comprising,a manhole frame adapted to be fixed in the opening, a unitary peripheralmanhole adjusting ring disposed on the frame and having a peripheralseat formed in its interior peripheral surface for receiving the manholecover, and adjustment means disposed between the frame and the ring forvertically adjusting the height of the ring with respect to the frame,said ring being formed of peripheral segments, means for connecting suchsegments together to form the unitary ring, said ring containing aplurality of stepped notches formed in the lower edge of the ring, andsaid adjustment means including a plurality of stepped inserts formedfor selective insertion respectively in said notches for adjusting thevertical distance between the frame and the ring and thus selectivelyadjust the height of the manhole cover with respect to the frame.
 9. Amanhole cover support for vertically adjusting the level of anassociated manhole cover in the opening of a manhole housing comprising,a manhole frame adapted to be fixed in the opening, a unitary peripheraladjustable ring disposed on the frame and having a peripheral seatformed in its interior peripheral surface for receiving the manholecover, said ring supporting said cover, and adjustment means disposed atleast partially within the external surface of the ring and offsetinwardly within the radial boundaries of the ring for verticallyadjusting the height of the ring with respect to the frame, saidadjustment means comprising a ''''U'''' bracket and at least one spacerdisposed within and at the bottom of the bracket, said bracket beingdetachably positioned on the ring between the frame and the ring toselectively adjust the vertical distance therebetween and thus adjustthe height of the manhole cover with respect to the frame.